Rail-joint.



No. 648,608. Patented May I, |900. 0. F. CANTWELL.

BML JOINT.

' ati (Apphc on Bled Jan. 30, 1900.)

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UNITED STATESv PATENT' OFFICE.

ORLANDO FESTUS CANTWELL, OF MILAN, TENESSEE.

RAIL-JOINT.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letterslatent No. 648,608, dated May 1, 1900.

Application filed January 30, 1900. Serial Nol 3,333. (No model.)

To @ZZ 'wbmn it may concern:

Be itknown that I, ORLANDO FEsrUs CANT- WELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milan, in the county of Gibson and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Rail-Joint, of which the following is a specification.

Thisinvention relates to rail-joints; andthe objects of the same are to provide a rail-joint for railroad-rails so constructed and arranged that the abutting ends or sections secured to the ties are adapted for an interlocking union which will admit of proper longitudinal movement of the rail due to expansion and contraction or other natural causes, but which will at the Same time rigidly secure the abutting rail ends or sections against either lateral or vertical movement under the heaviest strains; further,to provide an interlockingjoint so united as to form practically one continuous rail and an unbroken smooth tread-su rface,thus avoiding the jar and disagreeable sensation-incident to passing over the uneven joints of the rails at present in use; further, to provide a rail-joint by which the rails are so firmly and securely connected that the inconvenient and expensive use of ish-plates and clampingbolts, nut-locks, or equivalent devices is avoided, and at the same time so constructed that when the rail is released from its fastenings to the ties it can be removed readily for repairs or other purposes without disturbing the abutting and interlocking rails, and, further, to construct such a joint without weakening the tread-surface at the inner portion of the rail-sections through the medium of the reduced walls or portions by essentially' preserving the usual amount of metal adjacent the inner edge of the tread at the point of greatest crushing strain and locate the joint outside of the longitudinal median line of the rail-sections, with obvious increased strength and efficiency.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of the several parts, which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of interlocked rail-sections broken away and illustrating a joint embodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the improved joint. Figs.

3 and are perspective views of the interlocking terminals of rail-sections, showing has a vertical extent from the plane of the top of the flange 4 and the tread-surface of the head 3, the upper surface of the said tongue and the enlargement 2 regularly merg-` ing and in the same plane and also in the plane of the tread of -the head. By having the lower edge of the tongue 5 extend downwardly only to the plane of the upper limit of the fiange 4 the latter is made to serve in the capacity of an abutting shoulder 6, and an effective male member of the rail-joint is thus completely produced Without detracting from the effectiveness and advantage of the ordinary tread-surface now commonly used in railroad-rails. j

The connecting rail-section 7 or, for instance, the oppositeextremity of the rail-section l, as the case may be, has the -Iiange and head portions similar to the section l; but thehead portion 8 has an outer enlargement 9, 'which is formed by widening the section at said point equally to the enlargement 2 of the section l, and in the said enlargement 9, near the outer face, a longitudinal slot 10 of the same dimension as the tongue 5 is constructed vand has its bottom Wall 1I in the same plane as the upper limit of the ange 4.

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strengthen the device and materially add to the advantages of the improvement. The enlargement 9 of the section 7, having the slot l0 therein, may be properly termed a female member of the joint, and in the assemblage of the parts of the joint the tongue 5 is seated in the slot lO and the shoulder 6 of the flange of the rail-section l snugly abuts against the said end l2 of the flange of the section '7, and the ends of the members disposed on opposite sides or forming the side Walls of the slot 10 closely engage the projecting portions of the enlargement 2 and rail-head and adjacent web of the section l on opposite sides of the tongue 5 Where the latter starts from said enlargement 2. It will be observed that a flush fitting of all the parts is secured without projection of any sort, and after the flanges have been spiked or secured to the ties in the ordinary manner now commonly pursued the joint will be effectively completed, and particularly so f'ar as vertical or transverse movement is concerned; but to make the joint still stronger and more effectively resistable to separation the interlocking parts are provided with alined bolt-holes 15 to receive bolts 16, which are nutted, and longitudinal separation of the parts of the joint is thereby obstructed; but, like ordinary railroad construction, the joint does not interfere with the necessary expansion and contraction or creeping of the rails, due to causes well understood.

The present construction of joint has been particularly devised to prevent the formation of what is known as alow joint ora lip on the end of the rail-section and also obstructs downgrade creeping from unnatural causes. By the use of the improved joint a less number of coupling-bolts are required than employed on the ordinary lfish plate joint, and the latter form of joint, with its inconveniences, expense, and uncertainties, is entirely dispensed with. Another advantage of the improved construction is the extra width of' the flange at the point where the joint is located, which will prevent the rail from turning over, as is often the case with the ordinary joint now in use, and, furthermore, the ties beneath will not be cut, as when a rail having a narrow or ordinary flange is used. The rail-joint will also materially reduce the use of braces, and in the employment of the device for curvesthe ends of the sections will be properly bent for this purpose at the time of the formation of the same.

The great expense attending present railroad construction employing connecting shplates and extra coupling-bolts and the constant attention necessary on the part of railroad hands and others to guard against accident by loosening of the joints and repair of the track-bed is considerably in excess of the cost of the improved railroad-joint, in view of' the reduced Wear and tear on the railroadbed, the less number of coupling-bolts employed, and the safety and reliability in view of an impossible accidental separation. Moreover, the jar and vibration will be reduced on the rolling-stock in View of' the fact that there are no abrupt joints, and it is obviously apparent that changes in the form, proportions, and minor details can be resorted to Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is l. A railroad-joint comprising rail-sections respectively having malel and female interlocking members consisting of an elongated straight tongue in the one instance and a longitudinal slot in the other to receive said tongue, the said tongue and slot of the two members when interlocked being located outside of the longitudinal median line of the rail-sections to preserve the ordinary and necessary thickness of metal along the inner edges of the sections to withstand the wear and strain of the wheel-fianges adapted to move thereagainst.

2. A railroad-joint comprising rail-sections with terminal enlargements, the latter being on the outside of the section and one formed with astraight elongated tongue and the other with a longitudinal slot to receive said tongue and make a ush joint therewith, the flange under the joint being increased in width and the Web thickened and the inner face thereof flush with the inner limit of the head of the joint.

In testimony that l claim the foregoing as myown I have hereto affixed my si gnature in the presence of two witnesses.

ORLANDO FES'IUS CAN'lWELL.

lVitnesses: J. B. RAGsDALE, F. D. MOORE. 

